Category Archives: News

My mother deliberated endlessly between harvest gold and avocado green when selecting the color for the appliances for our new home. They were the current color trends, burnt orange was all the rage as well, but it had already been eliminated by my father. He hated the other two less, but equally, that is why my mother got to choose. My father was an artist and matters of color were usually decided by him. This decision put a lot of pressure on my mother.

I encouraged her to go with the harvest gold. I knew that it would look great with this sunflower pendant fixture I saw at the lighting store. Convincing my father to buy that sunflower light fixture remains one of the toughest sales of my life. My father never appreciated the qualities of the smaller matching sunflower fixture I wanted for over the sink. My mother and I didn’t stop there; canister set, spoon rest, towels, etc. If it was in that kitchen for more than 5 minutes it was harvest gold.

Now when I go to homes that have embraced trends like items in an “Oprah’s Favorite Things” show I wonder two things; how much fun this must have been at the time and how much time did it take for the fun to wear off. Trends exist for two reasons; we like to refresh and upgrade our surroundings and advertisers entice us to purchase the latest and greatest.

There are a few examples when trends have become classics, but more frequently trends have become trash. Color trends are perennial; some linger, while others lose their bloom faster than a spring tulip. Since color is the easiest and least expensive way to transform your room, color trends are the most frequently played with. A few years ago the brown and blue combo hit the scene and has perhaps worn out its welcome.

Last year, Pantone and others were declaring that yellow was the color to conquer the palette, the Color Marketing Group went so far to say that mauve would make a comeback. This year Pantone’s Color of the Year is Turquoise, number #15-5519 to be exact. Pantone feels that Turquoise has earned this honor in part because it “inspires thoughts of soothing, tropical waters and a comforting escape from the everyday troubles of the world, while at the same time restoring our sense of well being. “ But I believe that not all colors conjure the same feelings in everyone.

How can you know the best way to use trends to refresh your interior without looking like you got stuck in a time warp? Determine the color palette that works for you. A color consultation with a designer is a great place to start and will leave you with a practical tool for selecting color for your spaces: a customized color palette. Armed with your custom palette as a shopping tool you can begin to transform your surroundings.

Having a tool that fits in a purse or glove compartment allows you the ability to easily compare your palette with possible purchases and quickly eliminate costly mistakes. The infusion of trends then becomes deliberate. If during your color consultation you discovered your preferred palette is warm neutral, rather than incorporating turquoise #15-5519 you would choose colors from Sherwin Williams paint strip #32 or #33. The trend color then slips comfortably into your space like a friend rather than an intruder. Long after the turquoise trend has been sent packing, your interpretation of the trend is still welcome because you have made it a part of your authentic style.

Designer fabric manufacturer Robert Allen/Beacon Hill has collaborated with Sherwin Williams for the past two years by coordinating; fabrics, trims, and paint colors in their Colormix collections. Colormix 2010 has four new offerings; Treasured, Rooted, Inspired and Refreshed. Your customized color palette will steer you to make the appropriate adjustments to these sets. Robert Allen/Beacon Hill products can be purchased through professional designers.

Everyone knows that grocery shopping without a list can have disastrous results, by shopping for your home with a list and a color palette not only will you save money because of the mistakes you won’t make, you won’t believe how comforting your home feels once your surroundings are in harmony.

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Things To Consider When Selling Your Home For Cash

Having trouble determining which "CASH" buyers are really cash buyers and not just middlemen eating into your profits?

What to look out for when selling your home for cash

Seller beware of these As-Is, Cash Buyers:

The "Cashless Cash Buyer"
The "Contractor Guy"
The "Waaaay Out of the Box Buyer"
The "Just a Hair Higher Guy/Call Me Last Buyer"

"Cashless Cash Buyers" that really have NO CASH to purchase your home. There are a lot of these "Cashless Cash Buyers" looking to tie up your houses so they can "flip" it for more money to a real cash buyer!

In order to get you committed and to run off their competition from real cash buyers, these "Cashless Cash Buyers" write offers to purchase or more often write an "OPTION" contract that is usually higher than a legitimate cash buyer.

Since they don't have the cash to close, the "Cashless Cash Buyer" will be shopping your home hoping to "flip" it to real cash buyers like HomesForRehab. "Cashless Cash Buyer" will tell you he needs to show the property to his "contractor", his "insurance" guy. This parade of professionals without business cards are the real cash buyers.

After getting an idea of what a real cash buyer will pay, "Cashless Cash Buyer" will insist on renegotiating the sales price or threaten not to close. Once he beats you down on price "Cashless Cash Buyer" will assign his contract over to a cash buyer for MORE than what he agreed to pay you. Usually it is for A LOT more, when a "Cashless Cash Buyer" finally gets a bite on his hook he is looking for a big fish!

"Cashless Cash Buyer" doesn't even have to show up at the closing. Your home gets sold directly to a buyer you have never met. "Cashless Cash Buyer" will get a check for money that should have gone to you! The title company will cut him a check that very same day you are signing your closing papers.

The other down side of "Cashless Cash Buyer" is that she may use an "Option" contract. An "Option" contract basically means that you have agreed to sell your house to her but "Cashless Cash Buyer" has the "Option" to purchase or property or not. If "Cashless Cash Buyer" can't find a real cash buyer than she is not obligated to buy and the deal is dead.

BUYERS CAN GET OF ANY CONTRACT EVEN IF IT ISN'T AN OPTION CONTRACT! You can sue them and you may win but if they don't have the money-they don't have the money.

This process puts you back at square one, looking for a new "real" cash buyer. By now you have probably already turned down all offers from the "real" cash buyers and will have to invite them back.

Unfortunately by now you owe more real estate taxes, have made more mortgage and insurance payments, incurred more utility expenses and maybe additional repairs that you didnt expect.

"Cashless Cash Buyers" operate on the "Other People's Money" system. You may have even sat through one of the many late night infomercials yourself or heard a radio ad about a real estate boot camp coming to a local hotel banquet room this weekend!

The "Contractor Guy" will claim he can pay more because he is fixing it himself. The "Contractor Guy" will wear his "work clothes", maybe even a tool belt and will arrive in a truck. Even though "Contractor Guy" looks his part and says he buys "AS-IS" homes, he will express huge concerns about your property's condition. "Contractor Guy" is OVERLY CRITICAL in an effort to lower your expectations of what your property is worth. "Contractor Guy" will continue to slam the condition of your property and beating you up on your agreed upon price and threatening not to close until the day of closing.

Unlike "Contractor Guy" it takes A LOT to alarm a real cash buyer. We have seen so many situations in our years of experience there are always enough great things about an AS-IS property to balance out the bad!

"Waaaay Out of the Box Buyer" spews out an endless variety of out of the box ways to sell your property to her. Typically, the "Waaaay Out of the Box Buyer" is a fast talker whose proposals seem to always leave the seller with a great deal of risk. Kinky out of the box deals are the "Waaaay Out of the Box Buyer's" specialty. They may seek seller financing- potentially leaving the seller on the hook with their lender. "Waaaay Out of the Box Buyer" may suggest that you get a percentage of the profits after she rehabs it. Of course the seller has to pay "Waaaay Out of the Box Buyer" for her materials and labor. The "Waaaay Out of the Box Buyer" might even suggest that she be allowed to lease the property to a tenant and make monthly payments to the seller! The "Waaaay Out of the Box Buyer" is always thinking of new out of the box ways to profit! A seller might have an unusual situation and need an out of the box solution but typically, the suggestions made by the "Waaaay Out of the Box Buyer" have too many variables that can go wrong and leave the seller in a huge financial mess!

The "Just A Hair Higher Guy" aka "Call Me Last Guy" ORDERS sellers to call him before accepting any other offers. "Just A Hair Higher Guy" aka "Call Me Last Guy" will come and look at your house but is AFRAID to make an offer until you call him and tell him what all of the other cash buyers offered to pay. The scared "Just A Hair Higher Guy" aka "Call Me Last Guy" may claim to only give offers on Thursday, or some other arbitrary day of the week hoping he picked a day after you have all the other buyers' offers. The terrified, "Just A Hair Higher Guy" aka "Call Me Last Guy" will make an offer just a hair higher than the seller's highest offer.

The "Just A Hair Higher Guy" aka "Call Me Last Guy" appears confident and seems to enjoy the buying process. Buying property is a hobby for "Just A Hair Higher Guy" aka "Call Me Last Guy". He typically has a spouse with a great job or is semi retired looking for something to do with his time. "Just A Hair Higher Guy" aka "Call Me Last Guy" usually has the money to purchase your house but doesn't trust his own decisions and can't bring himself to part with the cash.

When the closing date on your property nears "Just A Hair Higher Guy" aka "Call Me Last Guy" gets harder to contact. He stops taking your calls. "Just A Hair Higher Guy" aka "Call Me Last Guy" rarely has an office so it is very difficult to track him down. Afraid of his own shadow, "Just A Hair Higher Guy" aka "Call Me Last Guy" usually gets cold feet and never shows up for closing, never to be heard from again. The seller's attempt to use the other offers in order squeeze out a few extra dollars backfires and causes additional expenses. The seller is also left with the task of beginning again.

SELL YOUR HOME TO SOMEONE

who has a business registered with the Missouri Secretary of State

who seriously looks at your property - if someone isn't serious about buying your home it isn't going to take them long to view your property- they will be "flipping" it to someone else so he will just need to get the real buyer in so HE can seriously view your property

who has experience and a good reputation for closing on on properties they have contracted to buy

who has an office you can visit

who has purchased an impressive list of properties titled in their name that they have successfully rehabbed and sold